We are officially into 2026 and the beginning celebrations of America250! The Historical Marker Program continues Marking the Journey with our second trail: Power of Place. These trails highlight both familiar and lesser-known stories, encouraging visitors to build a deeper and more meaningful connection to the past.
The natural geography and resources of the land that is now Pennsylvania has had a major impact on the prosperity of people, the state, and the nation. The land as we see it today tells a history of how the land has transformed people and how people have transformed the land.
The markers in this theme highlight our relationship with places through the formation of boundaries and treaties; outcomes of conflict; celebration of generational connection to farming; nature as a healing agent; hope for liberty and agency; resource extraction and wealth; and environmental protections.
The Power of Place explores seven markers that illustrate these concepts through significant historical moments:
The Battle of Brandywine and how the terrain affected the movement of the Continental and British armies during the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777.
Map of movements of the Battle of Brandywine. Image: Brandywine Battlefield, https://www.brandywinebattlefield.org/battle/
Explore the deeper impacts of the Mason-Dixon Survey as the physical and metaphorical dividing line between north and south, free and enslaved, union and confederate.
Mason-Dixon Line, Boundary Dispute. Image: Karl Musser – Karl Musser, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1331400.
The rapid industrialization of the nation began with the First Mining of Pittsburgh Coal, and Pennsylvania at its center.
Coal Fields Map. Image: WITF, Courtney Howell, https://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php%3FimgId=1-2-C22.html.
How a mountain top in Cambria County, coupled with new architectural and medical advancements, provided the ideal location for treating tuberculosis patients at Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium Marker. Photo: PA SHPO.
An experiment in freedom, agency, self-sustaining, and ownership for African Americans at Pandenarium.
Modern view of Pandenarium, Mercer County, from “Unearthing the Forgotten Past at Pandenarium, Site 36ME0253” by Angela S. Jaillet-Wentling, M.A., RPA.
The recognition of the enduring connection between farm families and the land they steward through the Century Farm Program.
Adams County’s Horner Family Farm, Locust Grove, has been in the Horner family since 1802, and was listed in the National Register in 2007. Photo: PHMC.
How a passion to protect a crucial migratory airway led to its protection and our reconnection and appreciation for nature at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
A view along the Lookout Trail at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Photo: PA SHPO.
If you’re interested in learning more, the story map also includes a selection of related markers and further reading opportunities.
Prefer something offline? You can download and print a trail brochure from our website to take with you on the road.
- Download a PDF: Power of Place – digital
- Download a Print-Friendly Version: Power of Place – print
We hope you enjoy this second in our four-part series! Check back soon for our next theme: The American Experiment.
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